House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff expressed his interest Monday in seeing open hearings on President Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. In a Washington Post interview, Schiff also expressed skepticism that Trump’s order had the united backing of his administration.
“I think there should be open hearings on this subject,” Schiff told Washington Post op-ed columnist Greg Sargent. “The president has put us on a path where we may be at war with Iran. That requires the Congress to fully engage.”
It’s unclear whether such a hearing could be hosted by Schiff’s committee, or if Schiff was speaking about the potential that another committee would hold hearings on the matter. His spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry by TPM.
Schiff, citing the intelligence he had seen about the decision, questioned whether the administration was united in its recommendation to kill Soleimani. Previous Democratic and Republican administrations also reportedly considered assassinating Soleimani — who has orchestrated campaigns that have killed thousands of people, including Americans — but backed away from such a move due to the widespread consequences it would have in the Middle East.
“I don’t think the intelligence was of the kind of character that would lead to a uniform recommendation that Soleimani should be killed,” Schiff said in the Washington Post interview. “I think that was an impulsive judgment made by the president.”
Schiff accused Trump of “making decisions by the seat of his pants while he’s on vacation in Mar-a-Lago.”
